Artists Creating The Library of Babel for Burning Man

In the early 1900's Jose Borges wrote a story about The Library of Babel. In his story it was a library that contained all the stories ever written. In a warehouse in Sparks, Warrick Macmillan is building his own, with a Burning Man slant.

"It is the physical interpretation of that story," Macmillan tells me as crews begin assembling the walls for the hexagonal building.

It will be 45 feet across and 50 feet tall when it's done. It's covered with an infinite Arabic design of ancient tiles.

"We silk screened all of this which was mind blowing," says Peter Laxalt, a local graphic designer working on the project. "I mean think about just silk screening a T-shirt and what that takes and then transferring that to an 8 foot by 10 foot wall...it's amazing. And it worked!"

Crews are rotating in at all kinds of hours to help Macmillan get his project off the ground. And he's found some monetary support.

"We got a grant from the Burning Man Foundation for like three-fourths of this and a smaller grant from the Sierra Arts Foundation for when it's done. But we still need money for lighting the space once it's done, and for transporting it all to the playa," Macmillan says.

In addition to the structure, they are filling the library with handmade books.

"Everything is repurposed," says Macmillan. "We are using recycled paper to make our own paper and then we are putting it into books that covered with donated fabric. Each book is unique."

All those books will be filled with whatever Burners want to fill them with at this year's festival.

"We're supplying paints and pens and they can draw or write or paint. We're leaving it open and just want to see what happens," Macmillan says.